Source: http://gizmodo.com/chinese-hackers-just-got-caught-hijacking-a-decoy-water-1012520726
Chinese hackers have been harassing the US in a series
Saturday, August 03, 2013
Chinese Hackers Have Been Caught Hijacking a Decoy US Water Plant
Disposable Spy Computers Are Disturbingly Easy and Cheap to Make
Source: http://gizmodo.com/disposable-spy-computers-are-disturbingly-easy-and-chea-1014343556
Be honest, how often do you use unsecured Wi-Fi for something you shouldn't? You know, just a quick Facebook login at Starbucks. If you've done it even once, that's too much, because making a secret spy computer that can steal all that data is dumb easy. And cheap to boot.
Friday, August 02, 2013
ASUS' 31.5-inch PQ321 4K monitor gets reviewed: pricey, but luscious
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/02/asus-pq321-4k-monitor-gets-reviewed/
Let's be honest: almost no one expected one of the world's first 4K monitors to be ho hum. After all, it has eleventy gazillion pixels. Er, a native 3,840 x 2,160 resolution, but close enough. The gurus over at HotHardware were able to take the 31.5-inch PQ321 for a spin, and predictably, they loved what they saw. Outside of being duly impressed with how the panel handled everything from Photoshop work to gaming, they were also taken aback by the monitor's svelte frame. In fact, they found it a little tough to look back on a 1080p screen after a couple of weeks with this thing -- it's like the SD-to-HD revolution all over again. That said, they did confess that the product feels a bit ahead of its time, and the monstrous $3,500 price tag is certainly indicative of that. Feel free to hit the source link for the full spiel, but the long and short of it is this: if you're in the one percent, buy it.
Source: HotHardware
Download Free, Open-source Textbooks from OpenStax College
Source: http://lifehacker.com/download-free-open-source-textbooks-from-openstax-coll-993587743
Textbooks are incredibly expensive (not to mention cumbersome and heavy in dead tree format). Smart students can pick up free digital textbooks from several
Yahoo adds Rockmelt to its stable of acquisitions
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/02/yahoo-adds-rockmelt-to-its-stable-of-acquisitions/
The Yahoo acquisition train just keeps on rolling! Rockmelt, the social browser news portal social content discovery service will be joining a growing cadre of properties that Marissa Mayer has snatched up. The platform, which seems to straddle the line between Pinterest and StumbleUpon, focuses on personalization and social networking as a way to highlight and serve up content it believes you'll want to read or watch. Yahoo, especially through its homepage portal, has always been about servin! g up con tent, and the expectation is that Rockmelt will help the company better hone its understanding of you and what you love. The announcement post makes it clear that Yahoo plans to actually integrate Rockmelt's technology with its existing platform, though, we're gonna have to wait a bit longer to see exactly what that marriage may look like. Rockmelt will shut down its existing apps and services on August 31st this year.
Filed under: Internet
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 review
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/02/samsung-galaxy-tab-3-8-0-review/
For all intents and purposes, eight inches is the new sweet spot for tablets. We've so far seen a few hits with this form factor, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 perhaps foremost among them. It makes sense, after all; 10.1 inches can be unwieldy for travelers, and 7 inches scrimps a bit on screen real estate. Samsung's leveraged this trend to add another 8-incher to its lineup: the $300 Galaxy Tab 3 8.0. With 16GB of built-in storage, a dual-core processor and WiFi -- but not LTE -- support, it's hardly revolutionary apart from those novel dimensions. Still, we've found plenty to like with Galaxy Tabs in the past, so is this yet another strong contender? Meet us past the break to find out.
Google intros Android Device Manager to help you find that missing handset
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/02/android-device-manager/
Frequently lose your phone? Yeah, join the club. Don't worry, Google's got a fix. Android Device Manager will be available later this month for phones with 2.2 or later, letting you ring your phone at maximum volume when you can't find it, even if the handset has been silenced. Should that fail, you can also locate the thing on a Google Map in real-time -- and there's also a plan C. When you're all out of other options, you can securely erase all of your data from afar, so your Angry Birds scores don't wind up in the wrong hands.
Source: Official Android Blog
LG's OLED display production plant is taking shape, will fire up second half 2014
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/02/lg-oled-plant-2h-2014/
To us, installing some factory equipment doesn't seem like much cause for celebration. To LG, however, it's the first piece of tangible progress made towards getting its new OLED manufacturing line up and running. At a shindig held to welcome the equipment to LG's plant, the company said it expects to begin mass production of panels for 50-inch plus HDTVs in the second half of next year -- a little later than the original plan of first half 2014. Hopefully there won't be any more delays, as we'd quite like to see the production line flowing and the mammoth prices of those gorgeous curved sets come down a little.
Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, LG
Via: OLED-Info
Source: The Korea Times
Thursday, August 01, 2013
OmniVision details 10.5-megapixel Clear Pixel sensor inside Moto X
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/01/omnivision-details-10-megapixel-clear-pixel-sensor-inside-moto-x/
Motorola has been hyping up the 10.5-megapixel Clear Pixel camera inside the Moto X, but it's been shy on the sensor's technical details and origins. We now have both: it's the OmniVision OV10820, a 1/2.6-inch sensor with a video-friendly 16:9 aspect ratio and large 1.4-micron pixels. Its strong low-light performance comes through a two-chip approach. The sensor captures RAW images using a sensitive RGBC (red / green / blue / clear) color filter, and a companion chip automatically converts the resulting shots into the Bayer format that most imaging processors expect. The result is a high-performance camera that slots inside the Moto X without requiring any special effort. Whether or not we see the OV10820 used outside of Motorola is another matter. OmniVision can't comment on the sensor's exclusivity, but it does note that RGBC is an "extremely viable option" for the future.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, Google
Source: OmniVision
Moto X coming to Canada as a Rogers exclusive priced at $190 on a two-year contract
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/01/moto-x-canada-rogers-exclusive/
Motorola just made headlines here in the US with the official unveiling of the Moto X, and now it's making waves with similar news in the Great White North. That's right folks, the Moto X is coming to Canada, but will be exclusively available to customers of Rogers. The handset arrives in August for as low as $189.99 when attached to a two-year contract, and existing Rogers customers can reserve one for their very own right now. Unfortunately, the X will only be available in black or white (initially, at least), but hopefully additional colors and perhaps even the wood veneer versions will come later -- we're thinking maple's a good way to go.
Android 4.3 update causing problems with Nexus 4 handsets, rendering some unusable
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/01/android-4-3-update-nexus-4-netflix-problem/
While Android 4.3 is a relatively minor upgrade in the grand scheme of things -- bringing restricted profiles and some added graphical grunt to the platform -- it seems that the new OS version is wreaking havoc on some Nexus 4 devices. On Google's Product Forums, most people having problems report that after the update is downloaded and installed, their handsets either freeze on the 'X' splash screen or get stuck in a never-ending boot loop. For now, folks report that the only fix is to factory reset their handsets or flash to an older version of Android, and lose all of their saved data in the process. While there are no shortage of people apparently stuck in update purgatory, it's unclear exactly how widespread the problem is; our own in-house Nexus 4 received 4.3 without issue.
Additionally, the new Android version isn't playing nice with Netflix on Nexus 4's, either. After upgrading, launching the Netflix app is causing some handsets to freeze up -- and only resetting the phone with a long press of the power button will get the phone working again. Android engineer Dan Morrill has said that Google is aware of the Netflix issue, however, and that its working on a fix. Regardless, Nexus 4 owners might want to think twice before upgrading. We've reached out to Google for an official comment on these problems, and will update this post should we receive one.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google
Via: Phones Review
Source: Google Product Forums
TI intros single-chip DockPort technology destined for laptops and tablets
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/31/ti-intros-single-chip-dockport-technology/
The DockPort standard is only just getting off the ground with support in AMD's Elite Performance processors. TI could soon make the technology fly, however: its new (if awkwardly named) HD3SS2521 controller handles all the tasks of DockPort on a single chip. The hardware is both simpler and cheaper than past multi-chip designs, and makes it easier for laptops and tablets to deliver DisplayPort video, USB 3.0 and power through a single cable. Whether or not we see more DockPort-equipped mobile gadgets is another matter. While the TI chip is available today, device builders still have to choose DockPort over a more established standard like Intel's Thunderbolt.
Source: Texas Instruments
WSJ: Apple to use Samsung retina displays on next iPad mini
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/01/wsj-apple-to-use-samsung-retina-displays-on-next-ipad-mini/
Earlier this month, there was a rumor that Apple was facing possible delays with its next-gen iPad mini due to supplier issues with an (also rumored) next generation Retina display. Now WSJ is reporting that Apple may have gotten around the problem thanks to, of all companies, Samsung. The ubiquitous "people familiar with the matter" told the journal that Cupertino originally wanted to be supplied solely by LG Display and Sharp for the high res screens (likely to be the same 7.9 inches as the current model). However, to ensure enough supply, Apple has reportedly been forced to resort to Samsung's display division for the next iPad mini, too. It bears noting that such supplier leaks are often unreliable, and as we've mentioned before, Apple frequently tests components before deciding on a final design. If true, though, it would show that despite its best efforts, Apple can't make a clean break from its frequent sparring partner.
Source: WSJ
Panasonic unveils 16MP Lumix GX7 Micro Four Thirds camera, 45mm f/1.2 Leica Nocticron lens
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/01/panasonic-lumix-gx7/
There's not much to reveal about Panasonic's Lumix DMC-GX7 since it leaked (nearly) in full just days ago, but now it's official. This 16-megapixel Live MOS shooter is Panny's latest Micro Four Thirds offering aimed squarely at prosumers. This retro-styled camera is a much svelter option than the video-focused GH-3 ($1,500) thanks to its magnesium alloy casing. Along with in-body image stabilization and a swift shutter that tops out at 1/8000th of a second, the ISO tops out at 25,600. If video is your concern, it'll capture 1080p footage at 60 fps (24 Mbps) in AVCHD.
While the GX7 will burst shoot with autofocus tracking at 4.3 fps, its electronic shutter lets it hit 40 fps if pure speed is what you're after -- while we're on it, the shutter will also operate in a silent mode. Notably, a vertically-tiltable 16:9 Live View Finder is onboard, packing a resolution of 2.76 million dots and the ability to fire off the autofocus once it detects an eye. Two control dials aid in manual settings along with a rear-facing LCD touchscreen, which tilts up to 80-degrees. If all that wasn't enough, built-in WiFi and NFC allow for the likes of remote viewfinder apps and sharing media.
The GX7 will hit the US this November in a silver and black colorway priced at $1,100 with a 14-42mm kit lens, and $1,000 for just the body itself. A sleathier all-black variant will also be available, though only in Japan. Aside from the camera, a new Lumix lens with Leica tech will also hit shelves, offering a 45mm focal length with a speedy f/1.2 aperture -- the fastest in the lineup to date. Hit the press releases after the break for more details.
Filed under: Cameras
New Michael Lewis Story Makes Goldman Sachs Look Absolutely Ruthless
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-lewis-vanity-fair-goldman-story-2013-7
Lewis' "Goldman's Geek Tragedy" paints a more nuanced picture of Aleynikov, a soft-spoken Russian computer genius who was picked up by the FBI for "stealing" Goldman code and trotting it off to use at another firm.
Aleynikov, once Goldman's star programmer earning $400,000 a year, felt the full brunt of Goldman's wrath. "Goldman Sachs’s role in the trial was to make genuine understanding even more difficult. Its lawyers coached witnesses; its employees, on the witness stand, behaved more like salesmen for the prosecution than citizens of the state," Lewis writes.
In Lewis' telling, that "secret sauce" code was anything but. Mostly open-source information that wouldn't even help Aleynikov at his new firm.
One of Lewis' sources uses the example of a spiral notebook you keep by your desk to jot down thoughts and ideas. If you left your job for another one, you'd take the notebook with you. It's not that the pages would necessarily give you an advantage in the future, it's that they are your notes.
Goldman disagreed. They alerted the FBI and sought to make an example of Aleynikov, who comes off as a brilliant, misunderstood patsy in the story. Goldman comes off as ruthless.
Here's why. From Vanity Fair:
As one [market insider] put it, “Every manager of a Wall Street tech group likes to have people believe that his guys are geniuses. Their whole persona among their peers is that w! hat they and their team do can’t be replicated. When people find out that 95 percent of their code is open-source, it kills that perception. So when the security people come to them and tell them about the downloads, they can’t say, ‘No big deal.’ And they can’t say, ‘I don’t know what he took.’”
To put it another way: the process that ended with Serge Aleynikov sitting inside a federal prison may have started with some Goldman Sachs employees concerned about their bonuses.
A source at Goldman viewed the piece as pretty one-sided.
Lewis certainly makes his views known, but breaks down a complicated financial story in a way that only he can. The full story, on newsstands today, is definitely worth a read.
SEE ALSO: Goldman Sachs Threw Cold Water On Michael Lewis' New Vanity Fair Expose Before It Even Came Out
Join the conversation about this story »
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
The UPS Store to offer 3D printing service in select San Diego locations (video)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/31/ups-to-offer-3d-printing-service-in-select-san-diego-stores-vid/
Today, The UPS Store announced its plan to bring 3D printing services to the masses. The shipping company will soon roll out Stratasys Uprint SE Plus printers to 60 locations in San Diego to test out the new service; it'll be aimed at small businesses, start-ups and retail customers in need of a professional grade model to produce things like prototypes and artistic renderings. At $20,900 a pop, Stratasys printers aren't exactly the kind of gadget you'd purchase for home use, so their availability at UPS stores is a pretty major step towards making high quality 3D printing an accessible option for the common man. Though the company is starting small, it hopes to expand the service nationwide, provided that the San Diego experiment proves successful. For more info, check out the video after the break.
Filed under: Misc, Peripherals
Via: GigaOM
Source: UPS
Canon's 1080p Legria mini camcorder makes it easy to film... yourself
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/31/canons-1080p-legria-mini-camcorder/
Though we got tired of the word "selfie" in about 1/8000th of a second, it's true that snapping yourself can be tricky, especially on video. Canon wants to aid and abet such vanity with the Legria mini, a 1080p camcorder with an ultra-wide angle lens, flipscreen and built-in stand. To make sure that we, er, you look as good as possible, Canon's equipped it with a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, DIGIC DV 4 processor, 12.8-megapixel still shooter, stereo audio and 160 degree wide lens (170 degrees for stills). You'll also get built-in WiFi, an iOS app, DLNA support, time-lapse, slow motion and mirror image recording and playback. There's even a decidedly HTC Zoe-like feature which takes a four second video when you snap a photo, and assembles them together when you're ready. All of that should help keep your Vine, Video on Instagram and other filmic pipelines full. Check the PR and video after the break for more.
Pwnie Express' Pwn Plug R2 lets you hackproof networks over 4G
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/31/pwnie-express-pwn-plug-r2/
Pwnie Express has a knack for stuffing powerful security testing tools into innocuous housings, and this time their flexing that unique talent with the Pwnie Plug R2. Ars Technica's gotten ahold of the contraption ahead of its debut at the Black Hat conference, and it's boasting a healthy number of upgrades, including 4G service through AT&T and T-Mobile. Security hawks keen on testing network safety will be greeted with a fresh UI, one-click penetration tests and a new OS dubbed Pwnix, which is a custom version of the Debian-based Linux distro Kali. When it comes to hardware, the box packs a 1.2GHz Armada-370 ARM CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 32GB microSDHC card, a pair of gigabit Ethernet ports, a high-gain industrial Bluetooth adapter, two USB slots and a microUSB port. Naturally, the package supports WiFi 801.11 b/g/n and carries a SIM slot for those cases where you need to SSH in from halfway 'round the globe. If the $895 asking price doesn't make you flinch -- or you dig daydreaming about hacking for good or evil -- venture to the source for a breakdown of the gear's abilities.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Ars Technica
Quip: a word processor built for the mobile generation
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/31/quip-mobile-word-processorn/
The humble word processor is a pillar of continuity, in a maddening world of change. Or rather it was. Quip is a the latest app that hopes to drag the old-boy of DTP kicking and screaming into the mobile generation. If that sounds like potential hot-talk, then know that the project is a collaboration between former Facebook CTO Bret Taylor and founder of Google App Engine, Kevin Gibbs. What happens when these two re-write the writing tool? You get docs that adapt to the screen you're working on, a slew of collaboration tools (in app messaging, change notifications, image sharing and more,) plus all the usual cloud feature an app of the present day demands -- such as work offline, sync when connected. If anything, perhaps it's a little too modern, with one big lack: no support for Word docs in either direction. Quip can only export PDFs, but will preserve formatting, letting you cut-and-past your way around that minor bump in the road. How much for the word processing revolution? Free for personal use, or $12 per month if you're in business. It's iOS and desktop only at the minute, but the ink is just about to dry on an Android version any time now.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Quip blog
Samsung's 14-megapixel WB250 point-and-shoot now posts directly to Evernote
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/31/samsungs-wb250-evernote/
The WB250 Smart camera, Samsung's $179 WiFi-enabled point-and-shoot, just scored a major sharing boost. The pocketable cam can now boot images directly to Evernote. After downloading a software update, WB250 owners will be able to sync their images with the service seamlessly -- shots can then appear on connected smartphones, computers and tablets simultaneously. Users will also be able to tap into a 3-month Evernote Premium trial, bringing a 1GB monthly upload allowance and additional sharing options. Update your software to get started.
Source: Samsung (download link)
iPhone Users Gravitate To Facebook, Share Parenting And Family Content Most Often
Source: https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/welcome
Social media users are three times more likely to share content via their iPhone versus their desktop computer, and 1.5-times more likely to share on their iPhone versus all other mobile devices, according to a ShareThis study published July 22.
Facebook is the leading social platform among the iPhone user base, accounting for 66% of total sharing on iPhones, according to the study, by ShareThis Chief Scientist Dr. Yan Qu.
Qu analyzed 1.2 billion signals on the mobile Web, across 2.4 million sites wordlwide in the ShareThis network.
Twitter represents 15.8% of all content shared by iPhone users, followed by Pinterest with 14.2%.
What type of content is shared most on Facebook by iPhone users?
ShareThis created a classification scheme to gauge what themes were most popular. For example, a post containing baby pictures would fall under the "Family & Parenting" category.
It just so happens, the Family & Parenting category accounts for 20% of all content shared, the most of any category, followed by Arts & Entertainment (13%). Other categories represented less than 10% of all content shared: Health, Technology, Government, Fitness, Food & Drink, Fashion & Beauty, and Home & Garden.
Download the charts and data in Excel.
Join the conversation about this story »
Canon's New Tiny Video Camera Is For Filming Yourself Doing...Whatever
Source: http://gizmodo.com/canons-new-tiny-video-camera-is-for-filming-yourself-d-972995919
Canon's new Vixia Mini is a Wi-Fi enabled camcorder designed to help you document your everyday life in more detail than ordinary folk ever thought possible. No other people required.
Phone to Chromecast app streams pics and video, but can't be released yet
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/31/phone-to-chromecast-video-pictures/
Google's $35 Chromecast fared well in our review, but something that could make it even more useful is the ability to stream pictures and video from mobile devices. Users have been able to work around that on PCs by entering info for locally stored files into the Chrome address bar, and now ClockworkMod developer Koushik Dutta is showing off a solution for mobile that closes the gap with AirPlay. Demonstrated in the video after the break, his Phone to Chromecast app can fling pictures or videos stored on the phone directly to the dongle -- apparently thanks to web server software he'd already created for Android. There's no specific word on the codecs or resolutions tested, but he reports videos work at full framerate "like magic." The only bad news? The preview SDK terms mean he can't distribute the APK without written permission from Google, so this demo is as close as we're getting for now.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Google
Source: Koushik Dutta (Google+) (1), (2), YouTube
Marvell flaunts its Armada 1500-mini CPU powering Chromecast, lists codecs
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/31/marvell-flaunts-its-aramada-1500-mini-cpu-powering-chromecast/
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet